Rookies Could Tilt NFL Playoff Races
Clifton Brown - SportingNews.com
Dec 08, 2010
This has been a solid season for NFL rookies. Not just for those drafted at the top, like St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, but for some who were drafted much later, or not drafted at all.
Here are five rookies expected to play key roles in their team's playoff push:
Rob Gronkowski, TE, New England Patriots
The emergence of Gronkowski and fellow rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez factored into the Patriots' decision to trade Randy Moss. Without Moss, the Patriots use more two-tight end formations to take advantage of Gronkowski's and Hernandez's receiving skills.
"The offense is better, no disrespect to Randy Moss," said former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, now an analyst for ESPN. "They're getting back to some of the play-action passes they ran a couple of years ago."
Gronkowski has scored six touchdowns, becoming a go-to guy for Tom Brady in the red zone. Gronkowski and Hernandez combined for four catches, 53 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's showdown against the New York Jets, and Gronkowski set up a first-quarter TD by drawing a pass interference call in the end zone.
"Bill Belichick, what makes him so great is that he sees his team a year or two years from now," said former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski, now an analyst for ESPN. "When that (2010) draft was taking place, you could see the transformation the Patriots were going through. These were two very young, talented, wide-receiving type tight ends. Gronkowski is the better blocker; Hernandez is the better receiver.
"You could see this offense morphing into more of a possession-type offense."
Chris Ivory, RB, New Orleans Saints
Signed as an undrafted free agent after an injury-plagued career at Washington State, Ivory has become their featured back in the absence of Pierre Thomas (ankle). Ivory had 117 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's victory over the Cleveland Browns. He is the first Saints back with two 100-yard rushing games in a season since Deuce McAllister in 2006. Even when Thomas returns, Ivory could remain the No.1 back down the stretch.
"I'm getting into a groove," Ivory said. "It's nice to have the veteran running backs coming back, but I think I have a role on this team. I'm only going to get better."
Jason Pierre-Paul, DE, New York Giants
His two-sack performance Sunday against the Washington Redskins made him the first rookie since 2006 to have back-to-back weeks with two-plus sacks. After starting the season slowly, Pierre-Paul now has a better grasp of the Giants' scheme, and he benefits from the double-team attention drawn by end Justin Tuck.
"You're seeing his athleticism; he's comfortable I think assignment-wise," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said of Pierre-Paul. "You're seeing the natural ability start to come through. He's having fun playing, he's learning as he goes, and as I said, he's starting to really play well."
With Tuck, Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora, the Giants hope to duplicate the kind of pass rush pressure that carried them to the Super Bowl 42 title three seasons ago.
James Starks, RB, Green Bay Packers
Starks made his season debut Sunday and it was special, running for 73 yards on 18 carries in his first game since his junior year of college. Expect Starks, with fresh legs in December, to remain part of the Packers' rotation. A sixth-round pick from Buffalo, Starks looks fully recovered from a hamstring injury that kept him from playing the season's first two months.
"Everybody could see the talent from the day he arrived here back in the spring," Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. "He had an unusual hamstring injury that took a long time. The patience was worth the wait, but it's really what he does moving forward.
"It's just like anything else in this world—when you have the opportunity, you have to do something with it—and he got off to a good start."
Earl Thomas, S, Seattle Seahawks
His five interceptions already are more than any other Seahawks player had last season. Thomas has tremendous ball skills, and he should have an even greater impact if the Seahawks can improve their front seven under Pete Carroll over the next few years.
In the meantime, somebody has to win the NFC West and it looks like it will be either the Rams or Seahawks. Both teams are 6-6. They face off in Week 17 at Seattle, when Thomas (Texas) and Bradford (Oklahoma) will renew their college rivalry.
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